This Baby Yoda & Darth Vader Connection Will Have 'Mandalorian' Fans Screaming

With The Mandalorian Season 1 now over, the long wait for Season 2 has begun and the theories are flying. Most of these focus on the Darksaber, on Mando and The Child's relationship, and how exactly Moff Gideon's quest might tie into the Emperor's ultimate return. But there's one oddity that's been floating around ever since the series premiere that's starting to get a lot of attention, and it relates to how old Baby Yoda is. This Baby Yoda and Darth Vader connection might seem like a fluke, but it could be a significant clue for where the show goes in Season 2.

When Mando initially gets his charge from The Client, he is told his quarry is 50 years old. He assumes he's looking for an adult. Then it turns out his bounty is Baby Yoda, who ages super slowly, so "50" in his species equals an 18-month-old human baby. For most, "50 years old" wasn't a serious number, just an initial gag. But in 9 ABY, which is when the series is set, that age could be key.

If Baby Yoda is 50, he was born in 41 BBY, before the prequel trilogy even starts. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was set in 32 BBY. Baby Yoda would have been 9 during the adventures of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

But there's another character who was 9 years old in The Phantom Menace. This guy:

Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader, and Baby Yoda are the same age. If Darth Vader hadn't died in Return of the Jedi, he and Baby Yoda would both be 50 years old.

This could be a massive coincidence. It seems about the right age for a prepubescent Anakin to be when fans meet him as an innocent tyke, and "50" sounds like a solid comical age to assign to a green, big-eared toddler. And if the Emperor weren't a factor, it would be easy to write this off.

But the Emperor is a factor. Despite falling hundreds of meters to his death on a space station that blew up, he somehow survived. And that most likely means he used the healing powers of the Jedi in a twisted and unnatural manner to bring himself back.

Star Wars has posited before that for every person born strong in the Light Side of the Force, there's one born to the Dark and vice versa. Most have retroactively assumed that Luke was the one born to the Light to counterbalance his father in the Dark. But what if that's not true? What if Darth Vader's counterpart in the Light was born the same year as he was?

Could the real client seeking Baby Yoda be the Emperor, looking to use The Child to bring himself back? His age may be proof of it. If so, Season 2 could get very dangerous for everyone's favorite force-wielding toddler.